A warm trend, for last couple of weeks, has meant rising water temperatures. This means shrimp are still available. Despite shrimp in the rivers only Bandy’s and Larrys’ Bait & Tackle are opened for business. Shrimp can be plentiful one day and gone the next. Despite the abundance today. It’s likely shrimp could become scare in the next few weeks. If your fishing trip is dependent on shrimp you might want to the call ahead to make sure shrimp are available. Bandy’s number is 912-354-6444. The last number for Larry’s is 272-7339. Larry does carry live finger mullet when he’s able to find them. Finger mullet is an excellent bait for those targeting stripers!
Fishing success last week has been mixed . Small tides and gentle drifts helped some types of fishing and hindered fishing dependent on moving water. Small tides and gentle drift can mean a slow seatrout bite. On the other hand even though action was slow there were several large seatrout landed as well as lots of small ones. Some fishermen have limited out while most were catching some fish. With water temperature in the high 50’s to low 60’s and fetish fish (small fish that steal a bait) are out and about.
Small tides and slow drifts were ideal for sheepshead fishing! As water cool down and the bite for most fish slows sheepshead action is heating up! Sheepshead for the most part are thought of as a tricky fish to catch. On days with a slow drift the sheepshead fishing could be a good fish to target. It’s possible to not only catch quality fish but have lot s of bites! Most fishermen prefer to fish around slack water. There have been several reports of good catches of sheepshead last week.
Redfish can be found along mudflats and in spots that poise the least amount of amounts of danger from porpoises and humans. The more disturbed fish are the more likely they are to seek new areas of refuge. Creeks that are rarely accessed and are holding bait can be likely spots for redfish to hold. Winter is the time of year to see large schools of reds. Large schools of fish don’t necessarily mean large catches. These fish are easy to spook. This time of year clear, cold, slow moving water can make fishing challenging. Longer casts and artificials can work well! The best artificials are usually soft plastics like DOA shrimp and jerk worms. Any unnatural noise can send a school of redfish scurrying. It’s not unusual for winter redfish to honker down. Blind casting can and does produce fish. Far more redfish are caught by blind casting than sight casting. Nonetheless, be on the look out for anything unusual in the water: a push of water, bait popping out of the water, or nervous water. Likely those sights and sounds are signs of redfish. As always keep only what you intend to eat and release the rest. Going light on your take of redfish or practicing catch and release is always a good idea.Tides for the coming are building. Could mean a good seatrout bite as tide build. Anticipate the best bite just before a front arrives and a couple of days after a front has passed. We’re continuing to catch some nice seatrout and reds. Winter is a great time to target sheepshead. Striper action while not hot should produce some large fish as the winter progresses!
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Don’t forget next Miss Judy’s Inshore School is Jan. 27th . Call Miss Judy for more information and to register @ 912.897-2478. Lots of fun and good fishing information!
Thanks again! Capt. Jack McGowan